Change of Pace
by WolfHowl091
Summary: (Sequel to Saving Renee) The meaning of life: you're born, you live, you die. Well, that's what I thought until I met...them...
1. Prologue

I had never given a thought to how I would die. I knew I would, everyone does. But how, I never knew, or where. But now that I'm staring death in the face, in this place...Now I know.


	2. Chapter 1

Guest, whoever you may be, it was the prologue. _Prologue. _**PROLOGUE. **In my eyes, that doesn't count as a chapter!

Anyway...rant over. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**WARNING: DON'T RING THE PHONE NUMBER IN THIS CHAPTER, I MADE IT UP!**

Hope you enjoy it!

WH :D

* * *

><p>I had decided to take a gap year. I was sick of school. But what was I supposed to do for a year? In a way, I was kind of regretting taking a gap year. I want to travel but that costs money, and where would I go?<p>

I was E-mailing Kathryn. Probably my best friend in the whole world. She was studying law somewhere in London. I didn't know what to do with my life. I kind of wanted to be a teacher, a lawyer…well I didn't know. I guess that was why I was taking the gap year.

_From: Kathryn_

_To: Ella _

_Decided what you want to do yet?_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn_

_What do you think?_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn<em>

_To: Ella _

_Well, I don't know!_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn_

_Take a wild guess. I dare you! :P_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn<em>

_To: Ella _

_Oh, you dare me do you?_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_Any new cases?_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_SUBJECT CHANGE! I don't work on cases yet! I get given then to read but I don't go into court to support people and stuff._

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_Yeah, coz no one has employed you yet. I'm not that stupid!_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_Are you sure?_

* * *

><p><em>*Ella logged off.*<em>

My mum walked into my room.

"So have you decided yet? Did Kathryn help?" she asked.

"No."

"No you haven't decided or no she hasn't helped?" mum asked.

"No she didn't help and no I haven't decided.

"Are you going to travel?" she asked.

"Maybe…but where?" I asked.

"You have and Aunt Elizabeth who lives in Italy."

"Where?" I asked, curiously.

"A place called Volterra in Tuscany." She said.

"Cool. What's her number?"

"Check the phone book." She said. "It's under Lizzie."

"Lizzie?" I asked.

"That was what we called her!" she said, before walking out of my room.

I sighed and went downstairs to get the phone book. It was a mobile number. I dialled it.

08706838429

It rang and rang.

On the fifth ring, someone picked up.

"_Hello Bethy!" _

"Umm…actually, no, it's her daughter, Ella."

"_Ella! I haven't seen you since you were up to my knee! You must be, what, eighteen-ish?"_

"Nineteen this September actually."

"_Nineteen. Whoa. Are you going off to University then?"_

"No actually. I'm taking a gap year."

"_They can be good!"_

"So I want to do a bit of travelling in my gap year, and I was wondering if I could come and stay with you for a bit?"

"_Cardiff isn't really travelling darling."_

"So you don't live in Italy anymore?"

"_No, haven't for years. I still have the house there though. I used to go there every summer, but now I rarely have the time. You can stay there if you want. It might be a bit messy, but it's a nice enough place. It does only have three rooms though. A kitchen-diner, a bathroom and a bedroom upstairs."_

"That's fine. That's all I need_. _I'll pay you each month for the rent, or whatever."

"_It's quite cheap, I'll get the guy who sold it to me to call you."_

"Thank you so much!"

"_Ok, I'll call back later darling, around six-ish. Is that alright?"_

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine. Thanks again!"

"_Oh, I have to go. I need to let the dog out. Bye!"_

"Bye!"

_*Beep*_

I ran upstairs and logged on to my e-mails.

_From: Ella _

_To: Kathryn _

_Hey! Guess where I'm going!_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_The moon?_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_Ha…ha…ha! Sarky cow... No…ITALY! :D_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_WTF! Can I come!? Please, please, please…_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_No. Why would I want you to come?! :P_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_:'(_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_LOL! Haven't you go cases to work on?_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_I ONLY READ THE CASES!_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn_

_WHOA! Take a chill pill!_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn<em>

_To: Ella _

_I'm calm…_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_Soz g2g and pack! :P_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_I hate you so much._

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_LOL! :D_

* * *

><p><em>*Kathryn <em>_logged off*_

I smirked and went to pack.

* * *

><p>"<em>Ok. It's £120 a month. But only £50 for the first six months. Ok? It's so you can get enough money in the first six months so you can actually pay for the rest of the time that you're there."<em>

I was talking to my aunt on the phone.

"Ok."

"_I have also found a job that you might like. It's just working on a market stall, but it pays very well. But it's everyday mind."_

"That's brilliant, thanks."

"_Just ask for Vincent and mention my name to him. He owes me…"_

"For what?"

"_Another story for another day. He'll get you set up. He has the spare set of keys. He was supposed to be looking after the house. I bet he's done a good job of that. HA!"_

"Ok. Thanks again. Bye."

"_Bye!"_

I hung up.

I quickly logged onto my e-mails.

_From: Ella _

_To: Kathryn_

_Hey, I'm off to Italy!_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_Awww… Bye!_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_I'm sorry I couldn't see you before I left._

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_What time is the flight?_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_I leave Heathrow in six hours._

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_Then you better get your butt down to London then!_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_Yes, yes. See ya._

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_Bye._

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn_

_:'(_

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_:'(_

_I'LL MISS YOU!_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_I'LL MISS YOU TOO!_

* * *

><p>"Do you want to miss the flight, Ella? We need to go. Now." My mum said as she walked into my room.<p>

"Ok mum, hang on."

_From: Ella _

_To: Kathryn _

_G2g. I'll see you soon, yeah. We can meet up and discuss your cases._

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_Bye then._

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_Wow. You didn't rant about you not working cases yet._

* * *

><p><em>From: Kathryn <em>

_To: Ella _

_Shut up! :O_

* * *

><p><em>From: Ella <em>

_To: Kathryn _

_Bye._

* * *

><p>I logged off.<p>

"Are you ready?!" my mum called, up the stairs.

"Yeah, coming!" I called back.

I shut down my laptop and put it in the case in my bags and left. Only turning to look at my room. One last time.


	3. Chapter 2

I stepped of the plane into the bright sunlight. I rented a car at a nearby garage and asked for directions. It took me nearly three hours to get to Volterra because of my dodgy Italian translations. I had taken Italian for a year before I dropped it. So, as you can imagine, I didn't really under stand much.

"Vol-ter-a. Volterra."

"Oh, si, si! Sulla strada e poi a sinistra al bivio, sull'autostrada per trenta miglia e uscire a undici giunzione. poi seguire le indicazioni. Bene! Addio!" an old man said before he walked away.

Ok. Something about a street, then a motorway. And something about junction eleven and signs. Great!

I asked someone else.

"Lei parla inglese?" that is the only thing you need to know when speaking a different language.

The woman laughed, "No!" she giggled as she walked off. So much for that!

"You are lost, no?" an old woman asked me.

"Yes, si. Dove è Volterra?"

"On the road and then left at the fork, thirty miles on the highway and exit to eleven junction. Then follow the signs. Ok?"

That made it easier.

"Vi ringrazio molto, grazie!"

"Prego, you're welcome. Arrivederci!" the woman said.

"Ci vediamo!" I said before driving away.

* * *

><p>"I am looking for Vincent." I asked a young woman, no older than me at a fruit stall in a bustling town square.<p>

"Non capisco! Io non parlo inglese!"

"I am Vincent." A voice said behind me.

I turned around. The person behind me was tall and thin. He had dark, brown short hair and tanned skin. He wore a blue Italy football shirt and a pair of light brown shorts. He spoke with an Italian accent.

"Hello, I am Ella. My aunt Elizabeth said that I could stay in her house."

"Lizzie?"

"Yes, she said I could stay."

"Si, si, she called." Vincent said, "Come with me, I show you."

I followed him up a set of eroded stone steps into another court yard with stalls, but less people. He led me to the other side of the square and to a small house. He pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and opened the wooden front door. We stepped into a small kitchen with some steep steps in the corner and a small table surrounded by five chairs in the other corner. Oak beams stretched up and down the ceiling and walls. There were pictures hung on the wall and two candle sticks on top of the mantelpiece.

"I will come back later. You pay at the end of the month. I except pounds or Euro. But I prefer Euro." he said.

"I was looking for a job, so I can pay you. Do you know where the nearest English speaking job office is?" I asked.

"You can come and work for me if you want. I own the fruit stall in the market."

"The one with the woman on it who I asked where I could find you?"

"Si. Meet me there at nine tomorrow morning. There is food in the fridge, I had it stocked up for you."

"Thank you, Grazie." I said.

"Good bye, Miss Ella, I will see you tomorrow."

* * *

><p>My alarm went at nine o'clock. No ten o'clock. I hadn't reset the time.<p>

"Great!" I moaned.

There was a knock at the door.

"Miss Ella?" Vincent called.

I got up and pulled on my dressing gown. I ran down the stairs and opened the door.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot to reset the time." I said.

"It is fine, Adriana wasn't sure of you, so she stayed on the stall."

"Ok, I'll get dressed and then go down to the stall and work."

"You will receive a third of the profit for good work. Any fruit you damage will cost you money."

"Ok." I said.

"See you in ten minutes." Vincent left.

_To do list:_

_Reset clocks._

_Set alarm._

I had been in Italy for almost a week now.

"Adriana, please take this to Marta." Vincent said.

"Of course…" Adriana said, smiling at him. She walked out of the market place down towards the main road.

"So are you two like a couple?" I asked him.

"What?! No, no, we are friends. Just friends." He said quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

I raised my eyebrows.

"We went on one date but it was ages ago and we are like brother and sister, we have been friends since we were little. And she…well…"

"Still fancies you." I said.

"Yes, a little bit, I think…"

"I'll go ask her."

"Wait. What…? No!"

I was already running.

"Hey, Adriana!"

She moaned and turned to face me, "Si?"

"You and Vincent…together?" I said.

"No understand…"

"Umm…You and Vincent in love… um…oh god…what's love in Italian…?! Am…am…amare…amare! You and Vincent amare?" _Yeah, that totally made sense! _

"No, were in amare…" she said.

"Ok, and do you still love him?"

She looked puzzled and tilted her head to the side as if she were trying to read me somehow but I was written in a foreign language, well I technically am…

"I really need to buy a English to Italian dictionary."

There were some people standing by the road looking at a map and pointing up and down the road and then pointing at places on the map. They were arguing in English. ENGLISH!

"Oh my god!" I shouted as I ran to them. "Do you have an English:Italian dictionary?"

"Of course." The woman said, taking it out of her bag.

"Can I?"

"Of course, I'm fluent Italian, but my husband bought one in case. MEN!" she tsked.

I smiled and ran back.

"Ok..ok…right…voi…ancora…amare…Vincent?"

"No, no, no!" she blushed.

"Ok, let's go." I said.

"I no understand." Adriana said.

"Hummm…How about I teach you English?"

"You teach me…?"

"Yeah, we'll start or simple with numbers and stuff and how to say your name and then we'll do, like, what your hobbies are and stuff."

"What is this 'hobbies'"

"Things you like doing, like, swimming or reading."

"Oh, hobby."

"What…?"

"Say like orr-bee." She said.

"Hobby…?"

"Si, si. You teach me English, I teach you Italiano!"

"Yeah, ok!"

"You are nice Ella."

I smiled and Adriana smiled too.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Ella is not Bella, Ella is sort of based on me (a bit).**

**She is a completely different character. You will find out more about her as the story goes on.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: This chapter is a bit M towards the end, it doesn't go into description but still.**

**Thank you for reading!**

**WH :D**

* * *

><p>I had been in Italy for long enough that I had memorised the streets. Every morning, I would walk down to the market, I would buy some food there and then, when I had finished my shift on the stall, I would go home and make something for lunch. When I was finished, I went back outside, down to the market, work more, and then just walk around. I had found three short cuts to the house and a different way to the market.<p>

It was a sunny Sunday morning and I didn't have to work, so I decided to spend the whole day just walking around Volterra. But before I could get out of the house there was a knock on the door. I went to answer it and Vincent was there.

"Hey, I was wondering if you would want to come and have dinner with me…there's a nice restaurant coming into town, I just thought…"

"Like a date?" I asked.

"If you want it to be…" He said.

I smiled, "That would be nice."

"I'll pick you up at six." He said.

"Is it posh?" I asked.

"A bit."

"So dresses and penguin suits?"

"_Penguin suits?"_

"Yeah, black tie sort of place?"

"Wedding like?"

"Sort of, tucks and suits and stuff."

"Yes."

"Is it expensive."

"A gentlemen always pays."

I smiled.

"Six." He said.

"Six." I agreed.

"Bye."

"See you tonight." I said.

I shut the door. I was filled with a warm fuzzy feeling. That quickly passed as I realised I didn't have a dress.

* * *

><p>I was basically window shopping.<p>

_Too expensive…_

_Tacky…_

_Yuk…maroon…_

_How can a person be that skinny…?_

_How much…!_

_Ooo…blue…_

In the end, I went into the shop and tried the blue dress on. It had a thin strap over the left shoulder and had clear stones around top and down the side. It fell to the floor. I bought some silver stilettos to go with it.

* * *

><p>I had been ready by five. I just sat at the kitchen table until the knock on the door.<p>

I went to answer it.

Vincent was there. He wore a white shirt with black trousers and a black dinner jacket with a slim black tie.

"You look…"

I smiled.

He held his arm out, I took it and we walked down to the restaurant.

* * *

><p>The inside of the restaurant was red with mahogany coloured tables. On every table there was a lit candle. We sat by the window that showed the moonlit street. A little band consisting of a violinist, a pianist, a cello player and a flute player were in the corner on the raised part of the floor. They were playing classical romantic music.<p>

"Can I take your orders?" asked the waiter.

"Yes, what will you have, Ella."

I looked down at the menu. Then I looked at Vincent.

"Um…How about you order for me?" I asked him.

"Two Carbonara and a white wine." Vincent said.

"Which wine signore?"

"Surprise me, sto cercando di impressionarla, quindi renderlo buono." Vincent said.

"Si signore."

The waiter walked away.

"What was that about?" I asked in a whisper.

"Nothing." Vincent said. He smiled as he took a sip of water.

We had been in the restaurant for about an hour.

"So, will you be staying In Volterra?"

"No, just a couple more weeks." I said.

Vincent nodded.

"I wish I could stay longer." I said.

"You can. What's stopping you?"

"My future. I need to find it."

"Start your future here. With me…"

"Excuse me…?"

"I think I'm falling in love with you Ella…"

"Ok…and, I guess, well I think, I'm in love with you too…"

Vincent leaned in, I leaned in.

* * *

><p>So, now it was official, me and Vincent.<p>

We spent our spare time together, walking around the town.

I had been in Volterra for five weeks. I had one left and I realised that I wanted to stay here so much.

"Hi Mum."

"_Hey Ella, how are you?"_

"Good, good. Mum, I really want to stay here longer. I love it here and-"

"_You've fallen in love!"_

"Yeah."

"_How long?"_

"I don't know yet."

"_Ok, call me when you've made up your mind. You need to start sorting out your future."_

"Maybe I have a future here mum…"

"_With who?"_

"Vincent."

"_With Vincent, doing what?"_

"Selling fruit. He owns a stall in the market."

"_And if you break up?"_

"Then I'll come home."

"_Ok. Be safe."_

"MUM!"

"_I'm just saying."_

"Bye."

"_See ya honey."_

"Love you."

"_Love you too."_

I put the phone down.

I turned onto my side, switched my bedside lamp of and went to sleep.

* * *

><p>I woke up and it was still dark. Someone was standing on the corner of my room. I quickly switched the lamp on. But when I looked back nobody was there. I thought I was going crazy. After that, I didn't go back to sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>I sat at the breakfast table, pushing a piece of toast around my plate.<p>

I walked down to the market, but I couldn't help looking over my shoulder. It felt like there was someone following me. I told myself that I was just paranoid. I told myself that there was no one in my room. But I couldn't help thinking about the black, cloaked silhouette in the corner of my room. I shivered. It felt like someone had walked over my grave.

I shook it off and walked down to the market.

"Morning." I said to Vincent, we kissed and I stepped behind the stall.

Adriana was behind the stall and smiled at me. I returned the smile.

"Hello." She said.

"Hi." I replied.

I spent the whole day on the stall and around the market.

"How about you come over to my house tonight and I'll make you some proper Italian food?" Vincent asked.

"Ok. Five?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Will Adriana be there too?" I asked.

"I thought just us, but she can be there if you want her to."

"No, just us is great. We're both adults. I'm eighteen, you're nineteen. We can both drink. So I'll see you in an hour at your place. I'll go and get ready."

"Bye."

"Bye." I said.

* * *

><p>I went over to his house and we were safe.<p> 


End file.
